New report highlights growing ambition for technology enabled care, but warns workforce confidence and better use of insight will be key to progress

1​7 March 2026

A new report from PA Consulting and TSA has found that adult social care leaders across the UK want to move faster on technology enabled care, with growing recognition of its role in prevention, independence, and more sustainable services.

The report, TEC Outlook 2026: Sustaining progress, scaling impact, is based on research with 79 senior decision makers across 71 adult social care organisations. It shows strong belief in the potential of technology enabled care to support earlier intervention, improve outcomes for people, and help services respond to rising demand. At the same time, it points to several barriers that still need to be addressed if that potential is to be fully realised.

Among the headline findings,78% of senior leaders said they want to accelerate their TEC programmes, while 96% said their organisation would rethink how care is delivered if TEC could enable prevention more effectively. The report also found that nine in ten leaders believe learning from peers across the sector will be one of the most effective ways to make progress over the next year.

That ambition sits against a challenging backdrop. Adult social care services are under growing pressure, and leaders are looking for practical ways to support independence, manage demand, and make better day to day decisions. The report suggests TEC is increasingly seen as part of that answer, particularly when it is embedded as part of wider transformation rather than treated as a standalone initiative.

However, the findings also show that progress is being held back by persistent challenges. Workforce understanding remains a major issue, with only 16% of leaders saying their workforce has a strong understanding of TEC’s benefits. More than half said practitioners would benefit from more support to speak confidently about TEC. The report also highlights missed opportunities around data and insight, with many leaders saying that while data is being generated, it is still not being accessed or used consistently enough to inform decision making in practice.

There are also concerns around long term financial sustainability, alongside continued variation in how TEC is being used across different groups. Of particular note, the report points to lower levels of use among younger adults, including people with learning disabilities and autism, despite the potential for technology to support more personalised and preventative approaches.

Alyson Scurfield, Chief Executive of TSA, said:

“Across adult social care, we are seeing growing recognition of the role technology enabled care can play in helping people live independently for longer and supporting services to respond to rising demand.

What this research highlights clearly is the importance of confidence and capability across the workforce. Technology only delivers real value when people feel able to use it, understand the insight it generates, and apply that insight in everyday decision making.

By sharing learning across the sector and building that confidence, we can scale approaches that improve outcomes for people while helping services deliver more proactive and preventative support.”

The report sets out a clear picture of where the sector is now, where momentum is building, and where more support is still needed. It also offers practical actions for leaders looking to accelerate adoption, strengthen workforce confidence, and make better use of TEC insight in everyday care.

Download the full report to explore the findings and recommendations in more detail.